Experimentation
by ShadowLegacy11
Summary: Before Ciel Phantomhive solved the case of Jack the Ripper, he solved the Dawn case. Annabelle Dawn was kidnapping children and doing experiments on them. Things that no child should ever experience. One of the experiments was someone called 1706, who suffered eleven years of Annabelle's torture. How can they reconnect with the world? By serving the Queen's Watchdog. Sebastian/OC.
1. Never Ending Days

Experimentation

Chapter One

Never Ending Days

Pain. Pain is all that Test Subject 1706 knew. Never ending pain.

For eleven years, the creature endured pain by the hand of a scientist. Annabelle Dawn would spend hours a day, testing her subject. Torturing it. Experimenting on it. _Changing_ it.

Different experiments that were done to 1706 changed them from what they once were. As a child of about six, 1706 had a full head of auburn hair, with striking green eyes to contrast it. With also a large bright smile to accompany the beautiful face of a child. But after _eleven_ years of tests and experimentations at the hands of this . . . woman . . . changed 1706.

The _woman_ , Annabelle Dawn, was a petite, blonde haired scientist who grew fascinated by the thought of hybridation. The fusing of a human and an animal. In the early stages of her experiments, she would work on children who she hired to work around her house for money. But she always made sure the children were orphans. No one to come looking for them, if they died.

Annabelle's green eyes always lit up behind her glasses, practically gleeful at the thought of fusing people with animals. And her current project, 1706, was to be fused with a panther.

As of now, 1706 had two separate eye colors. One a golden brown of a panther, and the other was 1706's natural green. Coming off the base of her spine, 1706 also had a tail that connected to her nervous system and helped achieve a better sense of balance when running.

The tail was a recent addition. It came maybe . . . three weeks ago. And the eye experimentation? That was only from the first week 1706 was locked down in the lab.

And this week was . . .? 1706 lost count. Lost hope.

Today was no different, 1706 thought as it lays on a cold table, restrained by multiple leather and metal bindings. It's ears strains to listen. The only noise heard in the room was the rattle of the collar around its neck scraping across the table with every movement of 1706's head, the collar that read its former _human_ name.

Annabelle never refers to her subjects by their names. Only their code number.

1706 lays on the table, waiting. Waiting to hear the all familiar click clack of Annabelle's heels. But to them, it wasn't just clicks and clacks it heard. It sounded much more like a bell. Echoing off the walls, the sound banging off its brain. For whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.

Laying on an examination table, 1706 looks up at the bright light looming over them, they're duel color eyes dilating from the bright light. The door off to its right opens.

"My, my, my . . ." Annabelle Dawn coos, looking over her experiment with wide, evil eyes. "It seems the serum worked!"

Reaching a very pale arm up to the top of 1706's head, Annabelle's hand met ears. Ears that stood erect on top of 1706's head. Cat-like ears.

Leaning down to pick up a notepad, Annabelle began writing, voicing her thoughts as she wrote. "Test Subject 1706 reacted very positively to the Panther DNA serum. Ears have erected on the top of their head. Next form of testing will be if the ears have any connection to 1706's nerve system."

1706's golden eye and green eye widen in shock. This _devil_ couldn't be serious. Not again! She should know by the tail experiments three weeks ago!

Annabelle walks over to the table only to be met with loud hisses and growls, with the test subject's eyes slitting like a cat's.

The test subject forgot how to speak many years ago, only _speaking_ in loud hisses and gargled growls. 1706 used to love the scientist. Love her as any child loved their mother.

"Now, now, Charlotte," Annabelle hums, reaching down to touch the creature's head. "You mustn't fight me on this, darling. It's only going to make it hurt worse. Now, lie still and let mommy test you."

1706, Charlotte Dawn, let out a guttural roar from her throat as a scalpel cuts at the base of the black panther ears on top of her head.

"Oh, how wonderful!" the sadistic scientist grins, writing down her findings. "They do attach to her nerves!"

Tears began pouring out of 1706's duel colored eyes. Tears of hatred, tears of pain, tears of betrayal. 1706's mother has turned her into a monster. A mother was supposed to love and care for her child. Not Annabelle. Never Annabelle.

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

"So, this is the place," a young boy hums, looking over the large building on the edge of a town.

The young child was roughly around thirteen, his bluish-black hair frames around his face, but not long enough to reach his chin. He wore a black eyepatch around his right eye, leaving his left, which was a breathtaking sapphire color, free to look upon the world. Just one look at this young child, and anyone would know his name. Earl Ciel Phantomhive.

But that's not the only name he's known for. Ciel Phantomhive is also known as the Queen of England's Guard Dog. And he was here on a case from the Queen herself about some children who were send to this house to work, only to never come home again.

The man Ciel spoke too responds with a simple, "Yes, young master." This man was widely known as well. As the young Phantomhive's butler, Sebastian Michaelis.

The butler stands taller than the young Earl, with medium length black hair, with red eyes gazing at the large mansion in front of them. But to the eyes of others, the man looks human enough. But eyes can always be fooled.

Tapping a long, slender, and gloved finger to his chin, Sebastian thinks back over the case his young master caught from the Queen recently.

The home before them belongs to a Jensen and Annabelle Dawn. While Jensen died twelve years ago, Annabelle went on to be a very successful scientist, but lately has been seen less and less by colleagues. Even the young daughter of the two seems to have disappeared shortly after her father died. But Annabelle just told everyone she was living with Jensen's mother up far north.

"My Lord," Sebastian starts. "I sense a living being in there."

"Just one?" Ciel asks his butler.

Nodding, Sebastian continues, "Yes, but on our way here, I heard a scream from what I believe is the basement of this place. Shall we investigate?"

Ciel's single blue eye narrows as he stalks up to the front door. "Let's get to the bottom of this mess."

Mess didn't even begin to describe what Ciel and his butler saw in the basement below. Nobody should have to see that.

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

Today was Charlotte's day. After _years_ of trying to escape, Charlotte had a chance to run. But when she took it, Annabelle was waiting for her.

"And here I was hoping I proved to you, escape was useless . . ." the woman sighs, rubbing her eyes behind her glasses. "I guess more _discipline training_ will make you see that. Take her back to the room. I think I'm going to work on her tail again."

The threat of another torture session, another set of long **hours** with this woman, it finally broke something in Charlotte. Her brown and green eyes glaze over, her mind leaving.

Falling onto all fours, Charlotte's ears sprung from her skull, and her tail slithers out from under her hospital type gown, puffing itself out. Letting out a guttural roar, Charlotte felt her teeth change, elongate. Her nails grew as well, scratching against the stone floor. Her eyes shrink zeroing in on the orderlies that her "mother" ordered to restrain her. Lunging at one of the men, Charlotte sees nothing but red.

When she finally came back to her senses, Charlotte was curling in the corner of the hallway, a thick substance sticking to her body, her gown. Glancing down, her body ran cold, seeing herself being covered in so much blood. When she seen what she had done, she lets out a loud scream, a wailing type.

Even though Annabelle put her through so much torture, that was still her mother. A mother that laid on the stone floor, her throat tore out by something. Like a set of fangs.

Slowly rising from the floor, Charlotte stood up and began walking away from the gruesome scene. She didn't want to see that any more. Didn't want to see what _she_ done.

That's when something hit her ears. On top of her head, her black furred ears twitch as it picks up voices. Two strange voices. Was . . . Was someone here to finally help? Or were they more orderlies? Curiosity got the better of Charlotte as her bare feet strike against the stone, looking for the new voices.

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

Ciel's sapphire eye widen at what he sees rounding a corner as he and Sebastian walk through the long corridors.

A girl, no older than seventeen, turns and looks at them. Her hospital gown hung close to her body, caked in blood. But that wasn't the strangest thing about her.

"D-DOES SHE HAVE EARS AND A TAIL?!" Ciel gasps out, looking at the strange girl. "Sebastian! Have you seen anything like this before?!"

Touching his chin in thought, the butler shakes his head. "No, young master. She's human, but . . . also not . . ."

"How the bloody hell is that possible?!"

Choosing not to answer the question, Sebastian takes a step toward the young woman, whose eyes snap at him, a low warning growl coming from her throat.

"Miss, do you know your name?" Sebastian asks, halting his advancement.

Her eyes narrow slightly, her eyebrow furrowing together. Slowly reaching a hand up, she taps to her chest twice.

"Yes, you, do you know your name?" the butler repeats again.

"N-N-Naa . . .N-Na . . ." The girl struggles to even repeat the word.

Holding his gloved hands up, Sebastian takes a cautious step closer, his red eyes moving to her neck were a collar lays.

"I am going to look at that around your neck, Miss," he announces, stepping closer again. "I promise you, no harm will fall to you. And I cannot lie to you, for my young master has forbade me to do so."

Gritting her teeth, and against her better judgement, the female lets the larger male step close, his long, slender fingers moving over the collar.

"Well, Sebastian?" Ciel asks, growing impatient. "Is she one of the children that went missing here?"

"No," Sebastian answers. "This is something much more . . . interesting." Turning his red eyes back to his master's, he grins darkly. "This collar reads as Charlotte Dawn, Annabelle's child."

"What?!" Ciel gasps, running over to see for himself, but the movement was too much for the female.

Charlotte snarls at Ciel jumps back, hissing loudly. Hunching down on all fours, she backs up against a wall, a low growl emitting from her throat.

"You seem to have startled her, young master," Sebastian says, a hint of a smirk lingering on his face. "But what are we to do with her? She wasn't one of the children you were ordered to find, but she's too feral to put in society . . ."

Ciel looks over the young woman, Charlotte, who was still against the wall, but now her body began to shake. She wasn't angry with Ciel for moving close. She was _terrified_.

"Sebastian, she is to come with us," the young Phantomhive announced. "She is to live with us and we will show her how to live correctly."

Arching an eyebrow at the young Earl, Sebastian voices his thoughts, "Is that wise? A young master such as you, taking in a feral child like this?"

"This intrigues me," Ciel admits. "And her abilities may prove some use in the future. Unless they prove to be fake. That would be a disappointment."

"Then allow me to test them sir," Sebastian offers, reaching a calm and slow hand out to Charlotte who watches carefully. Sebastian always had a soft spot for cats, and he wasn't going to pass up this chance to touch a cat's ear.

But the second his fingers met the black ears that rest on Charlotte's head, the woman hisses loudly and lashes out quickly, sinking her teeth into Sebastian's arm.

"That settles it," Ciel announces, a dark smirk on his face. "She's definitely staying."

With her fangs still embedded in Sebastian's arms, Charlotte's green and gold eye watch Ciel closely, only to narrow in confusion when he holds a hand out to her.

"Please, Charlotte, release my butler's arm and come stay with me. Work for me. I can give you a much better home than this," Ciel offers.

Her fangs retracted from the taller man's arm, looking up at the small Earl.

". . . H-Home . . .?" she stutters out, her voice weak and raspy, reaching out and taking the young Earl's hand.

What was a home? Charlotte never knew a home after her father died, but anything would be better than this place, right?

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

Months passed after the Dawn case, and Charlotte fit in nicely in the Phantomhive manor. Sure, it took a while for the girl to even get enough courage to walk out of her own room, but as the days passed and no experiments happened on her body, she grew happier. Braver.

Sebastian, the butler she sunk her fangs in, worked with her, showing her how to do some of her jobs around the manor, which was just cleaning stuff really. But when her duties were complete, Sebastian would help Charlotte re-learn how to speak and act like a human.

Thanks to the help of the butler, and the young Earl, Charlotte was feeling . . . more human. Even from the hybrid experiments her mother put on her.

Those parts of her still make the young woman scared that the rest of the house will hate her. Even though they've accepted them as a part of her. Charlotte hates having them. Because of the experimentations being for hybridation, Annabelle wanted something akin to a super soldier that would hide in plain sight, yet be ready to kill.

That's the one thing Charlotte was grateful of in the experiments, the ears and tail could be hidden, as they come out when Charlotte was startled, or if she is in great danger. But even then, whenever her ears appear on her head, Charlotte tries her hardest to hide them, as if ashamed.

So, as a surprise one day, Ciel walked up to her and gave her a large piece of ribbon fabric.

"I know you still hate what happened to you," he starts, glancing to the top of her head where no ears stood. "But they now make you, you."

Charlotte looks away from Ciel's sapphire gaze. "But . . . I'm a monster," she responds softly, her voice still small and timid.

Sighing, Ciel walks over and begins tying the bow in Charlotte's, now longer, hair. The midnight bow sits on top of her head, effectively hiding her ears if they ever appear.

"So, what if you are?" the young earl asks. "What's the fun of being normal anyway? This manor is full of monsters, you fit right in."

Looking at herself in the mirror in Ciel's study, Charlotte's mix-matched eyes gloss over with tears. In the short, few months of living in the Phantomhive manor, she's received more love and support than in the eleven years with Annabelle.

She was no longer Test Subject 1706. She was Charlotte Dawn, servant at the Phantomhive manor.

 **Author's Note**

 **Hello everyone! And thank you for tuning into my first ever Sebastian/OC story. I will warn you right now, this will be a VERY slow burn for the romance portion of the story, but it will be very much worth it.**

 **Also, this is the only time I will say this, but I DO NOT OWN BLACK BUTLER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS! I only own my OC's. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story!**


	2. Phantomhive's New Housekeeper

Experimentation

Chapter Two

Phantomhive's New Housekeeper

Weeks pass since Charlotte Dawn rejoined society as the newest addition to the Phantomhive family. Working for the youngest member of the family was something the young woman enjoyed. She felt . . . normal in these instances.

Waking up before the sun rises, the auburn-haired housekeeper stood beside her bed and stretches. Charlotte gives a purr of delight as she listens to the sound of her joints popping, waking from their slumber.

"Ah, I'm good to hear you are up, Miss Dawn," the butler of the manor says from the kitchen, making use of Charlotte's inhuman abilities.

Cocking her head to the side, Charlotte listens as Sebastian requests her to wake up Mey-Rin.

"Mey-Rin?" the housekeeper says, walking over to her bunk mate's bed. "It's time to wake up."

"Morning already?" the red-headed maid mumbles, rising out of the bed, reaching for her glasses.

"Afraid so."

Charlotte smiles as she watches the maid get up and walk over to the closet to retrieve her uniform, as well as Charlotte's.

Mey-Rin's maid outfit was a traditional one. A breathable black and white dress, topped off with a white apron.

While still holding the black and white style of the dress, Charlotte's was donned with a midnight blue sash around her dress, no apron needed. The blue sash was requested by Charlotte personally, to match the blue ribbon that stands atop her head, a gift from Ciel.

After the two women get dressed in their uniforms, Mey-Rin leaves the room to begin her morning. But as the housekeeper, Charlotte's job begins by cleaning Mey-Rin and her room, as well as the cook and gardener's room.

As she finishes with the servants quarters, even though Sebastian made it clear his was off limits, Charlotte was to go to the other rooms of the house, specifically the guestrooms, to tidy them up.

To others, this routine would see boring and others would loathe the amount of work to do. But Charlotte? She loves it.

 ***~*~Experimentation~*~***

Hours pass as Charlotte cleans up the upstairs guest rooms, switching out the sheets and cleaning up any dust that may have collected since her last sweep of the rooms.

Grinning at a job well done, Charlotte goes down into the kitchen to meet up with Sebastian to see if there were any other jobs for her to do. Walking in, the young housekeeper notices the chef, Baldroy, mixing a batter together.

Baldroy, or Bard as he wants people to call him, was a thin American man with very short dirty blond hair, and bright blue eyes. The chef always smells of cigarette smoke, given that he always seems to have one dangling from his mouth. He was apparently employed by Ciel for his cooking skills. 

What cooking skills those were, Charlotte didn't have a clue, but she loves to talk with the chef about his home country. Ever since leaving the Dawn household, Charlotte wanted to learn everything and anything she could. Even if she didn't understand most of the time.

Skipping over to talk with Bard, the female notices a plate of food sitting on the island table in the middle of the kitchen. But the strange thing about that was the fact her name was on a small card in front of the plate in the most beautiful handwriting she's seen.

Picking up the name card, she walks over to Bard and taps his shoulder. When the chef turns to look at her, she simply holds up the card and points to it with a questioning look.

Charlotte was more comfortable talking with the Phantomhive staff, but would still convey her thoughts and requests with hand gestures, if able. Thankfully, this was one of those times.

"Oh, I see you found it," Bard says, a large grin on his face. "Sebastian made it for you."

"…Why…?"

The American kept the grin on his face as he goes back to mixing whatever mixture he was working on. "He said somethin' about how he noticed you won't eat breakfast before going to work on cleanin'."

Charlotte's golden and green eyes shine in confusion at the new term. "What's 'breakfast?"

Tensing up, Bard turns to look at the housekeeper, a sad look coming across his face. "Oh, kid . . . Breakfast is a meal that's given at the beginning of the day before any work is done. It helps give you energy."

"Oh . . . And Sebastian made it?"

"Yep! And if he made it, you know it's gonna be amazin'!" Bard announces, a large grin on his face. "Now, sit your butt down and eat!"

Smiling gently, Charlotte picks up the fork beside the plate and takes the first bite of her first 'breakfast'. And Bard was right. It was absolutely delicious.

"Sebastian made this?" Charlotte asks, her eyes wide. "He's amazing!"

"Yep! Taught me all I know about cookin'~!" Bard announces, a proud grin on his face. "Even though I'm still learnin' some things, I've come a long way."

"Talking about me again, Mr. Baldroy?" a cool voice interrupts, making Charlotte and Bard jump.

Turning her head, Charlotte raises an eyebrow at how easily Sebastian was able to sneak up on her without her smelling him, or hearing him. Maybe she needs to practice on that?

"Just tellin' our newest member her about how good of a chef you are!" Bard explains, the lit cigarette in his mouth bouncing with every word.

Glancing over at Charlotte, Sebastian's crimson eyes roam over the plate he prepared for her. A small smile, even though no real happiness entered the smile, comes across his face. The smile sent shivers down Charlotte's spine, her senses springing into high alert. It was almost . . . demonic.

"Miss Charlotte, you are to report here for breakfast before cleaning any room, understand?" Sebastian orders, that smile never moving from his face.

"Yes."

"Very good," Sebastian announces, clapping his hands together. "Once you finish up, the young master is up and out of his bedroom, and it needs to be cleaned and attended to. See to it." And with that bit of orders out of the way, Sebastian left the kitchen.

"Now, I got a question for you, kid," Bard asks, gaining Charlotte's attention once again. "How the hell do you get out of a scolding from Sebastian, eh? Because you're the only one that doesn't get yelled at!"

Blinking, Charlotte takes the last bite of her food and stands up from the table. ". . . Maybe it's because I go and get my job done correctly the first time he asks?" A small smile comes across her face at the teasing of the chef before she runs out of the kitchen to start cleaning.

"OOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Bard yells out at her, with no malice in his voice.

He, and the rest of the staff of the Phantomhive manor, was just glad she was comfortable enough to talk freely with them. Charlotte was one of them now. She was a Phantomhive, connected not by blood, but by family.

 ***~*~Experimentation~*~***

The morning at the Phantomhive manor was quiet for the most part, but then everybody gathers around outside for the special guest that Ciel invited to fight Sebastian.

"So, why are we doing this again?" Charlotte asks, looking over at Mey-Rin.

The red-headed maid looks over at Charlotte, her glasses shining in the light. "Well, the young master has made a bet with Sebastian, he has!" she explains, looking over at the butler in question.

Cocking her head to the side, the housekeeper looks up at the chef in confusion. "What's a bet?"

"A bet is like a challenge!" the young gardener, Finny, says, grinning brightly at Charlotte.

Finnian, who goes by his nickname 'Finny', is around the same age as Charlotte, if not a little bit older. He has strawberry blond hair, and bright green eyes. In his hair, he has five barrettes uses to keep the hair out of his face. Then around his neck, is a large straw hat that Finny refuses to take off. He said it was a gift from Ciel, much like Charlotte's ribbon.

Charlotte looks from Finny back to the 'bet' at hand. Sebastian and the strange man stand facing each other. Sebastian stood tall, like the butler usually does, whereas the strange man is in some, strange, stance.

Moving his arms wide and around him, the challenger begins yelling, announcing his attack. "Take this! MY SECRET TECHNIQUE!"

 _ **~Then why the hell would you announce it?~**_ Charlotte asks herself, raising an eyebrow.

"THE BEAUTY OF NATURE BLOOMING IN GLORY FIIIIIST!" the challenger yells, rushing at Sebastian.

But the attack never lands on Sebastian. During the strike, said butler attacks the challenger, resulting in him coughing up blood.

 _ **~He's fast . . .~**_ Charlotte hums, not able to keep track of Sebastian's motion, even with her abilities.

Kneeling on the ground, the challenger continues to cough. "Th-that was the ultimate technique of our school!" Turning to look at the Phantomhive butler, he yells out, "When the fierce tiger and dragon roar, ten thousand flowers scatter and split fist . . ."

Charlotte's eyes widen. _**~He can do that technique? The ultimate one?~**_

"You fiend! Who the hell are you!?" the challenger yells, gaining Charlotte's attention again.

Clapping his hands together, Sebastian gained everyone's attention. "I am the butler of the house of Phantomhive." A small smirk comes across his face. "It goes without saying that I can manage a technique as elementary as this."

Turning to face Ciel Phantomhive, the young Earl of the manor, Sebastian smiles eerily. Smiling was definitely something the butler does often. Real ones anyway.

"Now then, young master, because I won . . ." Sebastian walks over to the table where Ciel sat, continuing his train of thought. "Please do today's review and tomorrow's pre-lesson."

"Oh, that's what the bet was for . . ." Charlotte hums.

"THAT WAS AMAZING, SEBASTIAN!" Finny cheers, sparkles practically shimmering in his eyes in admiration for the butler. "That's the fiftieth win in a row!"

Blushing madly, Mey-Rin tried to compliment the butler, but it was being drowned out by Bard's statement.

"Ain't our butler awesome!?"

Ciel sighs, looking at Sebastian with a bored expression. "And after I went to the trouble of going to mysterious lands to bring back an expert in Chinese martial arts . . ." Sitting up in his seat, Ciel rubs his forehead. "I thought for sure I would see you fall to your knees today."

Still giving that eerie smile, Sebastian bows. "So sorry to disappoint."

"At any rate, you won, so drink this," Ciel says, lifting up a glass of lemonade to Sebastian, as if a reward. To which the butler drank in one gulp.

But Charlotte's mix matched eyes narrow at the glass. The "gift" offered wasn't something that Ciel would normally do. So, what was done to the lemonade?

"By the way," Sebastian began, retrieving Charlotte's attention, as well as the other three. "What are all of you doing here?"

Whereas Charlotte gave Sebastian a confused look, she didn't notice the horror written across the other three workers. They apparently weren't supposed to be here to watch the fight. Oops.

"Finny! Have you finished weeding the garden?" Sebastian questions.

"Um . . ."

Sebastian didn't wait for an answer and moved on to the next victim. The maid. "Mey-Rin! Have the sheets been done?"

"W-Well, Mister S-Sebastian . . ." Mey-Rin tries to stutter out, but was ignored by Sebastian as he moves to the chef.

"And Bard, are the dinner preparations going as they should?"

Charlotte steps up, ready to take her yelling, only to watch as Sebastian over looks her and yells at the other three staff. "Miss Charlotte has completed all her work before coming out to the courtyard, yet you three laze around. Now, go do your jobs!"

Finny, Mey-Rin, and Bard all take off back inside the manor.

"So, I don't have anything else to work on . . .?" Charlotte asks, a bit sad at the news. Working in the manor helps her feel normal, like she has a purpose. What else could she do?

"Now, I never said that, now did I, Miss Charlotte?" Sebastian asks, a sneaky grin coming on his face as his eyes shimmer with mischief. "You are to report to the Young Master's study. You are to learn the tasks that come to being a guard of the Queen's guard dog."

"Eh?!" Charlotte gasps out, her mouth falling open. "G-Guard? But I'm just a housekeeper!"

Sebastian's red eyes _glimmer_ in the light as he smirks down at her. "And when the young master is out to complete duties that are given to him by the Queen herself, you are to accompany us. With your abilities, it will make things a bit easier on the young master, understand?"

Charlotte glares at the butler, her mix-matched eyes attempting to bore a hole in his skull. With no such luck in that happening, Charlotte closes her eyes and sighs.

"I understand."

"Wonderful! Please report to the study then, Miss Charlotte."

 ***~*~Experimentation~*~***

The "lessons" Sebastian talked about were just that. Lessons about what exactly Ciel did for the Queen. Which was basically being a detective for Her Majesty, and solving cases that perk the Queen's interest. It was a huge responsibility for a young boy, especially one of Ciel's age.

Even so, the young master held his own, his eyes holding years of haunting trauma that he's witnessed, but that's a question for another day.

Charlotte's ears twitch as she hears a tire pulling onto gravel.

"Are we expecting company . . .?" the young woman asks, her eyes looking over at Ciel.

Glancing out the window, Ciel notices the black car coming up the manor's driveway. "Seems like our lesson took longer than I thought. Go find Sebastian and make sure everything is prepared for Chlaus."

"Yes sir," Charlotte says, ducking her head and walking out of the study and walking to the kitchen.

But the young woman didn't get a chance to make it there when she spots Sebastian rounding up the staff to prepare for the visit.

Looking up, Sebastian's red eyes lock on Charlotte, motioning her down to join them.

 _ **~How does he know Chlaus is arriving?~**_ Charlotte hums, walking down to the main door to stand with the rest of the staff. _**~I just heard him pulling in . . .~**_

The housekeeper's eyes look up at the butler as he continues to give the orders to the staff, her mind sure of one thing.

 _ **~Sebastian isn't human . . .~**_

As if he could hear her thoughts, Sebastian turns to look at Charlotte, his crimson eyes burrowing into her green and gold ones.

Her blood runs cold as Sebastian's lips part to give her that sinister smile of his, as if confirming Charlotte's thoughts. Not. Human.

But the moment was broken when Sebastian breaks eye contact with Charlotte and claps his hands, gaining everyone's attention.

"Places everyone."

The six staff members stand on each side of the main door, with Charlotte by Mey-Rin and across from Bard.

"Welcome, Mister Chlaus," the Phantomhive staff all greet as the doors open, revealing Ciel standing by a tall man.

Chlaus was clearly middle-aged, but youth still shines in his bright blue eyes. His age didn't seem to affect his spirit. His hair was a light blond and pulled into a nice, tight ponytail. From those features alone, it was clear Chlaus was wealthy, but what sent that fact over the moon was the suit he was wearing. Most definitely expensive.

But the strangest thing about the man before her is the conflicting scents he has. One was a very strong after shave type of smell, and the other was something Charlotte couldn't exactly place. What was Chlaus really doing here?

Breaking Charlotte's examination of the new man in the manor, Sebastian walks up and greets the man again. "We have been expecting you, Mister Chlaus."

"Sebastian! Long time no see! I see you've taken on some new staff!" Chlaus comments, taking his hat off and placing it, gently, on Finny's head.

Charlotte's dark eyebrow arches at that. Wasn't she the newest staff member? Then the other three haven't been here all that long?

"You must have much to discuss with the Young Master," Sebastian says, a small smile on his face. "So, please, right this way to the courtyard, sir."

"The courtyard?" Chlaus asks, confusion on his face.

Which perfectly mirrors Charlotte's, who was behind Chlaus. Wasn't this supposed to take place in the dining hall?

But Sebastian quickly clarifies the situation. "The Young Master has ordered us to entertain you for all the trouble you have experienced on his behalf during your journey, sir. And I hope you find our efforts most agreeable."

 _ **~That clarified nothing,~**_ Charlotte scoffs mentally. Though she had an idea about the whole thing, she wouldn't know unless other clues were present.

"Please make yourself at home," Sebastian says, opening the door and revealing a beautiful stone garden in the court yard.

Blinking rapidly, Charlotte was incredibly confused. It was a normal courtyard just hours ago. What happened when she was in the study with Ciel?

Chlaus gasps softly, looking around the courtyard. "Prodigioso!" he calls out, seeing how beautiful the scenery was. "This is a Japanese Stone Garden!"

Sebastian steps forward, behind Chlaus and Ciel, leaving the rest of the Phantomhive staff inside the building, watching through a crack in the door.

"We have tea ready for you, sir," Sebastian continues to be suave, saving whatever mishap happened while Charlotte was in the study. "Right this way, if you please."

Charlotte watches in amazement as Sebastian is able to get away with all of this, because according to Bard and Finny, Sebastian was talking his way through the service.

But the tone shift in Ciel's voice catches Charlotte's attention. Moments ago, it was light hearted, like a casual visit. But once Chlaus was comfortable, the young Phantomhive's voice grows darker slightly, a double meaning behind his words.

"By the way, Chlaus," Ciel starts, gaining the guest's attention. "What I asked for?"

Chlaus, who lost the wonder like sound in his voice, grew serious as well. "I've brought it, as promised." Reaching into his jacket, Chlaus pulls out a small game box, Mouse 3. "Here is the _game_ you wanted."

When the game is shown, Charlotte's eyes dilate at the clear smell she was able to place, now that it wasn't showered by Chlaus scent.

"…Drugs…" Charlotte says in a soft whisper, which goes unnoticed by the three staff beside her, but not a certain butler.

"It isn't widely available in Italy," Chlaus continues, using the game charade very well. "So it was quite troublesome to procure it."

Ciel leans forward on the table, interlocking his fingers in front of his face. "Troublesome, hm?" he asks, a small chuckle in his voice. "So you keep stressing since this morning's phone call."

Slipping the game back in his pocket, Chlaus chuckles. "Of course! The prince gives his servant a fitting reward for his efforts, after all!"

Ciel sighs and tilts his chair back, balancing on the back legs. "I do hope this game is worth the reward though," he muses. "The one I finished playing the other day had such a tiresome ending."

Charlotte's eyes narrow, thinking back to when Ciel and Sebastian left the manor for a few hours. That must be what he means. He dealt with a client for Her Majesty.

"Really now!" Chlaus chuckles, a small smile on his face. "Games are easily completed by the hands of children like you, Ciel." Chlaus opens his eyes, his smile turning into a smirk. "Soon you'll be asking for another one."

"Of course," Ciel says, his face growing darker with ill-intent. "Children are greedy when it comes to games."

Charlotte sighs, struggling to listen to more of the conversation, but it was time for the servants to get the food ready for Sebastian to prepare. While her body went through the motions of preparation, Charlotte's mind stayed on the double meaning of Ciel's conversation.

"What have I got myself into?" she hums, leaning against the door, watching the rest of dinner play out, trying to ignore Finny and Bard's cheering of their success.

"I also," Sebastian began, catching the staff's attention, "selected an Italian wine to suit your taste, sir."

Beside the butler, Mey-Rin stood by the food cart that she pushed out to help Sebastian. And the poor dear wasn't moving. Seeing this, Sebastian leaned over and whispered something in Mey-Rin's ear and the maid jumped into action.

"Isn't there something wrong with Mey-Rin?" Bard asks, watching the maid stand beside Chlaus, wine in hand. But that wasn't the strange part. Her nervous shaking was.

Bard and Finny yelps in surprise as they notice Mey-Rin spilling the wine onto the tablecloth, missing the glass completely.

Jumping into action herself, Charlotte rushes outside with Bard and Finny. The two boys grab the nervous Mey-Rin and pull her inside as Charlotte grabs the wine bottle that fell from her hands.

But Sebastian pulls off the most amazing trick of the evening. Grabbing the end of the tablecloth, the butler gives a quick and powerful yank, removing the cloth from the table. Not one piece of silverware, or glasses, seem to move at the action.

Charlotte stands beside Chlaus and silently pours the wine into the glass and steps back away from the table, heading back inside the manor as Chlaus begins to notice that the tablecloth is gone.

Sebastian followed the housekeeper into the house as Ciel and Chlaus ate their meals. Immediately, he was hit with a wave of praise.

"You're wonderful! Simply wonderful Mister Sebastian!" Finny yells, stars practically dancing in his eyes.

Bard steps up next, wrapping an arm around the butler's neck. "In my country, we'd call a man like you 'Superman'!"

"I am no superman," Sebastian corrects. "I am merely a butler."

Charlotte chuckles as she places the wine back in the wine rack in the kitchen. "But you seem to do so much more than what a normal butler would do."

Sebastian merely chuckles as he goes to prepare the dessert for Ciel and Chlaus, as well as promising a dessert for the staff if they continue to behave just a little bit longer while Chlaus is here.

"And must I say, Miss Charlotte," Sebastian starts, gaining the housekeeper's attention. "That was a very quick reaction time. Nicely done."

Charlotte grins widely. "Thanks!"

But as Sebastian begins to head outside with the desserts, a thought enters her mind.

 _ **~Is he referring to catching the wine, or catching on that this dinner was about something else entirely?~**_

Charlotte's eyes watch the scene outside unfold with her mix matched eyes, which stays locked on Sebastian the longest.

Even though she recently joined this manor's family, Charlotte planned to protect this place with her life. And at the same time, try to figure out the mysterious butler before her.


	3. Pink Invasion

Experimentation

Chapter Three

Pink Invasion

Several days pass, and Charlotte is no where closer to discovering what the butler of the manor, Sebastian, was. And it was as though he _knew_ about her quest to solve the mystery, since he constantly taunts her with how little she truly knows about him, and the rest of the staff.

But on this day, he decides to be a bit more kind, as he was leaving with the Master of the Phantomhive manor, Ciel Phantomhive.

"I am leaving with the Young Master, and I expect all of the morning chores to be complete upon my arrival home," Sebastian chides over breakfast, his crimson eyes focusing on the three other workers, rather than Charlotte herself.

"Oi!" Bard, the head cook, grins. "Don't worry about all that! We'll have this place so spic and span that you won't even recognize the place!"

Sebastian's shoulders fall slightly. "That's what I'm afraid of."

The red-headed maid, Mey-Rin, asks the next question, "What are you going into town for, Mister Sebastian?"

It was at this moment, the young gardener, Finny, begins to sink lower into his chair.

The smile that comes across the butler's face is anything but kind. "We are fetching the Young Master a new walking stick. The last one mysteriously broke."

The last five words were aimed at Finny, who broke Ciel's walking stick a day prior, due to his unusual strength.

Chuckling softly at the antics of everyone, Charlotte finishes her breakfast and leaves the kitchen to go tidy up the rooms for the day. There was no need for her to see the butler and Young Master off.

Sebastian and Ciel were only gone from the man for about half an hour, when the hell spawn arrives.

 ***~*~EXERIMENTATION~*~***

Everything was pink. Absolutely pink.

Pink ribbons, pink bows, and surely if the hell spawn had pink paint, they would have used it too. But, pink wasn't the only new addition to the manor. Cute stuffed animals covered the place as well.

Okay, hell spawn is a bit much.

The pink obsessed visitor was apparently a frequent guest at the Phantomhive manor, sine none of the other employees seem too shocked at their sudden appearance, and the urge to dress them up in ridiculous costumes.

Elizabeth Midford was a petite young girl, who couldn't be any older than Ciel, with blonde hair with prominent curls, which was pulled back into almost a pig tail style. But what caught Charlotte's attention was Elizabeth's bright emerald green eyes.

Even though Elizabeth was changing the manor to suit her taste, Charlotte had to give her props. When she did this, her emerald eyes shine with excitement, and passion. Like she lived to make things cute.

"Hello everyone!" Elizabeth gushes, looking at them all and giving them presents.

Bard was given something akin to what Mey-Rin was wearing, a acute maid hat and a bib around his neck.

Finny was given a pair of rabbit ears, which Charlotte had to admit, made him look even more adorable.

"Oh!" Elizabeth gasps, her emerald eyes finally landing on Charlotte and comprehending her for the first time. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize Ciel hired a new staff member! How rude of me!"

Giving Charlotte a small curtsy, which surprised the housekeeper, Elizabeth grins widely. "My name is Elizabeth Midford, and I am the fiance of Ciel Phantomhive, but you can call me Lizzie when it's just us!"

Smiling softly in return, Charlotte returns the curtsy. "I am the housekeeper for the Phantomhive Manor, Miss Midford. I am Charlotte Dawn," she says.

"Lotte! That's what we should call you! Charlotte's too formal, Lotte!"

Charlotte cringes at the nickname, but says nothing.

Lizzie reaches into her bag full of pink nightmares, only to pause and look up at the midnight blue ribbon that rests on Charlotte's head.

"I was going to make you more pretty, but that bow does it for you!" the young maiden gushes, sparkles in her green eyes. "When I get married, I hope my face looks like yours! So slender and beautiful! And the bow helps make your eyes absolutely shine! It makes you look like a princess from a story! "

With another piece of her pride taken away, Charlotte merely smiles at the young Lizzie who continues to sprout out things about how to make the manor more . . . _cultured_. . . for her husband to be, Ciel.

As the small bundle of energy walks out of the room, Charlotte rubs her forehead.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I would much rather deal with Sebastian's teaching over etiquette than spend a day with her . . ."

It wasn't that Charlotte hated Lizzie, but more along the fact of she's jealous of her. Charlotte never really had a childhood, yet, there was this young maiden who was in her youth prime, and clearly in love over her fiance.

Fiance. Charlotte huffs at the thought, going back to cleaning the room she was in.

The second the experimentations began on her in her mother's lab, the thought of love and a husband went out the window.

"Who would ever love a monster like me?" she says, gripping the small wash cloth in her hand.

Feeling her claws beginning to elongate from her nails, Charlotte takes a calming breath to retract them.

"Love . . . It's nothing but a fairy tale . . ."

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

It wasn't too long after Lizzie's hostile take over with girly things, that Ciel and Sebastian return home.

As the young Earl and his butler enter the house, they are greeted by a sight that's truly something to take in.

From her vantage point on the second story, Charlotte was able to watch Sebastian's face turn from shock, horror, confusion, and demanding an explanation within the span of three seconds.

But he never got a chance to ask the question when three familiar staff members tackle him in panic, screaming his name.

"MISTER SEBASTIAN!"

As three of the Phantomhive employees cling to the butler, Sebastian looks over their strange looks and finally mutters a question.

"What is going on?" Red eyes run over the strange outfits once again, and he decides to rephrase his inquiries. "Or Rather, why are you two dressed like that?!" That one was pointed to Bard and Finny.

Jutting his thumb over to the side, Bard barks out, "Ask that crazy girl! 

Following the trail of his thumb, Sebastian and Ciel walk over to the door the cook was gesturing towards and peer inside.

Taking this chance, Charlotte practically skips down the steps to the first floor. There was no way she was going to miss this.

Thanks to her super hearing, as Bard calls it, Charlotte listens in as Lizzie coos over Tanaka, the house steward.

"This ribbon looks so good on you! But the rose looks cute too!" A small squeal of frustration comes from Lizzie as she continues, "I can't make up my mind!"

Leaning against the wall, Charlotte watches as Ciel's body stiffens up and another squeal is heard in the other room.

Lizzie eyes apparently found Ciel.

"CIEL!" she squeals out, running over and hugging the young master. "I've missed you so!"

"Miss Elizabeth," Sebastian interrupts, attempting to save Ciel from Lizzie's hugs.

Lizzie's green eyes look over and lock with Sebastian's, and the young lady gives a small curtsy of greeting. "Good day, Sebastian!"

Bowing slightly at the waist, Sebastian places his left hand over his chest. "It has been quite some time since we last saw you, miss."

"Oh!" Lizzie grins widely, digging into her bag of pink goodies. "I've brought you a present as well!"

Quicker than any normal person should have been able to move, Lizzie rushes over and places a pink bonnet on Sebastian's head, ordained with flowers as well.

Charlotte bites into her tongue to keep herself quiet, since the murderous gaze returns to Sebastian's crimson eyes. The other three staff members didn't even try to hide their laughter.

"So cute!" Lizzie says, stars practically shining in her eyes. "You're always wearing so much black, that I thought some color would be good for you!"

After sending another murderous glare to the three laughing staff members, Sebastian looks back at Lizzie.

"I am exceedingly . . . _Grateful_ . . . For your kindness towards someone such as myself."

"Don't mention it!"

As Sebastian sulks away, Ciel steps up to talk to his fiance.

But she definitely didn't listen to the young master at all, insisting on a dance party to occur later this evening.

Standing beside the butler, who still wore his pink bonnet, Charlotte snickers.

"Seems like Ciel met his match."

"How so, Miss Dawn?" Sebastian asks, watching over the young Earl and his fiance.

"Please, I'm no miss. Just Charlotte works," the housekeeper says, before continuing with her point. "Ciel can order and say anything he wants, but in the end, Lizzie is going to have her dance party."

Sebastian looks out to see Ciel struggling to tell Lizzie that he wasn't having a dance party, but Lizzie wasn't listening.

"I believe you are correct, Miss Charlotte."

"Sebast-" The butler cuts her off.

"Miss Charlotte, allow me this title for you," Sebastian requests. "The young master has made it clear that any lady shall hold the title of miss."

Furrowing her brows, she looks over into his red eyes. "But you don't refer to Mey-Rin as miss . . ."

A ghost of a smile comes across his face. "True, but you earned the title of Miss due to your birthright."

Familiar pain, in the form of a stab to her heart, causes Charlotte to snarl at the butler out of instinct.

"Just because the Dawn name is from a noble family does not make me one!" Charlotte's gold and green eyes glare at Sebastian, tears prickling at her eyes. A stinging pain hits her nose as well. The tears were close.

Knowing to pick her battles, the housekeeper turns and flees the first floor, returning to the second landing to continue her job.

Crying in front of Sebastian? She'd never live that down.

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

Hours passed since the earlier encounter with Lizzie, and Charlotte was right. The dance party that Lizzie wanted was indeed happening that night in the foyer.

And everything was going according to how Lizzie pictured, even down to the outfit she made Tanaka, Finny, Bard, and Ciel wear.

Charlotte and Mey-Rin were spared, since they were already wearing dresses. True, they were maid type dresses, but they counted!

Ever since their little spat, Charlotte and Sebastian stayed far away from each other, the tension thick in the air.

True, she shouldn't be this angry at the butler, and really she wasn't. It was more about the principle of her title. She didn't want to be labeled as someone because of her family name. But Sebastian's a butler, and of course he would see that as a big deal, and she got mad over nothing.

Rubbing her face, the housekeeper actually couldn't wait for all of this to end and she can retire to her bedroom and sleep, and since everything was going without a hitch, maybe it would be-

"I THINK NOT!" Lizzie screams out, making everyone's head turn and look at the couple.

 _ **~So much for my relaxation tonight,~**_ Charlotte's mind echoes in her head, her mix matched eyes scanning the situation.

Lizzie was pointing at the ring that rests on Ciel's thumb, complaining how it didn't go along with the outfit she picked out for him.

The ring in question was a bit large for Ciel to wear, but he always seems to be wearing it. Even Charlotte can't think of a time when he wasn't.

 _ **~Family heirloom?~**_ her brain asks.

The ring had an intricate design, but the beauty of the ring came from the gem that rests at the tip. A breathtaking sapphire.

With, once again, quick movements, Lizzie snatches the ring off Ciel's thumb, holding it up to the light to look at the design.

"This ring is much too big for you," she chides, admiring the sapphire, before continuing. "The one I chose for you tonight was just the right si-"

" **GIVE IT BACK!"**

The sheer force in the young master's voice sends a shiver down Charlotte's spine as everyone turns to look at the furious Ciel.

The look the raven haired Earl gives Lizzie could almost rival the butler's. Almost.

"Give it back this instant, Elizabeth!"

The scent of tears hits Charlotte's nose, and she glances over to see tears forming in Lizzie's emerald eyes.

"Wh . . . Why are you so angry?" she hiccups. "I was just . . . I was only trying to make you look cute! So how come you're so angry?!" As Lizzie continues, her own anger begins to bubble up. In her rage, she raises her hand high above her head and screams, "I HATE THIS RING!"

The whole thing happened in just a blink of an eye, yet at the same time, in slow motion.

Lizzie threw the ring to the floor, shattering it. At the sight of the shattering of the ring, Ciel immediately raises his hand, clearly about to slap Lizzie.

Acting quickly, Charlotte moves across the floor in just a few steps and pulls Lizzie behind her, ready to take the hit. As Ciel's hand moves closer to the pair, Charlotte felt her canine's elongating from her mouth, as well as her eyes turning into slits, almost hissing at Ciel.

But the strike never came.

"Young master."

Sebastian's cool voice brings Ciel back to the present. Looking up at his arm, Ciel realizes Sebastian's hand was holding his wrist. Looking at Sebastian's hand, Ciel's sapphire eyes look over at his housekeeper and sees her slowly return to normal, her fangs and cat like eyes disappearing.

As Ciel takes a few calming breaths, the butler steps up to the cowering Lizzie, who was holding onto the back of Charlotte's dress.

"Please excuse us, Miss Elizabeth," Sebastian says, giving her the same bow from earlier. "That ring was very important to my master. It is the one ring in the world that is handed down to each head of the Phantomhive family."

Charlotte's eyes widen slightly at the explanation. No wonder Ciel was so angry.

Even more tears flow down the young girl's face as she tries to apologize.

But Ciel merely ignores her as he walks over and picks up the pieces and throws them out the window, surprising everybody.

Before anyone could question his actions, the young Earl states, "It's just an old ring. Whether I wear it or not, I am still Ciel Phantomhive, head of the Phantomhive family."

Charlotte's ears, which stood erect on her head from her anger earlier, twitch at Ciel's words. He was telling the truth, partly. He still cared about the ring.

As Ciel walks over and offers a dance to Lizzie, Charlotte steps back and moves through the manor and walks into the backyard where the ring was tossed.

"This is going to be a pain in the ass," the housekeeper sighs, before looking around the lawn.

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

Dance after dance, Charlotte continued looking for the final piece of the ring.

She was quick to find the gem, and some of the smaller pieces. But the main one that was missing, was the band with the inscription on the inside.

"Ah, Miss Charlotte," a smooth voice says, slight surprise in the sound. "What are you doing out here this late?"

Mix matched eyes look up to see the face of the butler.

A small smile moves up to her face as she holds up her hand. "What kind of housekeeper would I be if I can't clean up a mess like this?"

Sebastian chuckles softly, before his crimson eyes locates the band a few steps to his left. Bending down to pick the piece up, the butler does something that makes Charlotte freeze in her spot.

"I must apologize for my actions earlier."

Looking over, Charlotte spots Sebastian's red eyes staring intently into hers.

"I should have known that you wouldn't want to be referred to your last name. Same as your mother, so I must ask for your forgiveness."

Charlotte snorts out a laugh, and walks over, handing Sebastian the pieces she found earlier.

"Technically, that's Doctor Dawn, but you're forgiven, Sebastian," she says. "Just remember, Charlotte works as well as Dawn."

That smile that sends shivers down Charlotte's back returns to the butler's face. "Of course Miss Charlotte. But now, you should retire for the night, and be ready for the morrow."

Bowing her head, feeling as if a weight has been lifted off her heart, the housekeeper walks to her room and prepares for bed, wondering what the following days will bring her.


	4. X Days No Accidents

Experimentation

Chapter Four

X Days No Accidents

Days after the invasion of Elizabeth on the Phantomhive manor, things fell back into a smooth pace.

Until the mouse infestation.

For the past few days, the manor staff have been trying to catch the mice that found their way into the building.

Well . . . Bard, Finny, and Mey-Rin were dealing with them. Sebastian and Charlotte had more _pressing_ matters to attend to.

Charlotte stood in the library of Earl Ciel Phantomhive, cleaning, when she spots a small grey mouse scampering across the floor.

With every fiber of her being, Charlotte had to resist pouncing on the rodent and play with it.

 _ **~Damn feline instincts . . .~**_ she mumbles in the back of her mind.

Shaking her head, she went back to doing her job, listening in on Ciel's meeting in the billiard room next door.

There were six people there in total, Ciel included, and Charlotte felt herself snarling at some of the words that were being exchanged. The people were speaking in a coded language, but Charlotte was quick to catch on.

There was a rat with in the room, and needed to be dealt with.

Now, Ciel had already learned about who the rat was, but he wanted Charlotte to listen in and confirm his thoughts even more with her abilities. With her hyper sensitive hearing, she was able to listen to their voices, and heartbeats, albeit faintly. A walking lie-detector test.

A loud clank was heard, another pool ball being hit, and by the sound of the voices, Ciel finished the game. Taking this as her signal, she silently left the library after the billiard room emptied to report to Ciel.

Meeting the young Earl on the way, Ciel remarks, "Did you find anything of interest while cleaning the library?"

The house keeper smiles softly. "Yes I did, sir. You have a vast collection for me to learn from."

"As expected. Did you narrow down to which book you will cover next?"

"Yes."

"Excellent, follow me and I will have Sebastian collect more on the subject."

The two pass the Phantomhive staff, still chasing after the mice, with some help from Sebastian.

"Ah, Young Master," Sebastian greets, giving the young lord a small bow.

"Send a carriage over to Lord Randall's mansion tonight," Ciel orders. "We will be hosting a party this evening."

Sebastian's red eyes narrow, locking with Ciel's. The communication was clear.

"Very well, sir," Sebastian says, that cold smile returning to his lips. "Once I have made arrangements for the carriage, I shall bring your afternoon tea to your study."

Nodding at this, Ciel continues down to his study, with Charlotte following behind.

The two step inside, and Ciel lets out an exasperated sigh. "Why can't those other three be more like you and Seba-"

The young Earl was cut off by a large hand holding a handkerchief covering his mouth and nose.

Charlotte suffers the same fate, but her feral instincts kick in, and she throws her arms behind her, frantically clawing at whoever had her. She had only one thought in mind. Save Ciel Phantomhive.

But having the hyper senses were both a blessing and a curse. Whatever was on the handkerchief, most likely chloroform, made Charlotte very light headed and prone to falling unconscious.

Hearing Ciel's fighting grunts slowly fall into heavy breathing, Charlotte knew they were both about to plunge into darkness.

Feeling her eyes grow heavy, the house keeper's dual color eyes droop down, falling into the sea of sleep, not sure _where_ she will wake up.

 ***~*~EXPERIMENTATION~*~***

 **Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump.**

Lying on the floor of a carriage wasn't exactly comfortable, no matter how many layers of clothes a person has on.

Charlotte woke up not too far into the carriage ride, but kept her eyes closed, and her breathing even as not to draw any unwanted attention from their captors.

"He only wanted the brat! Why'd you get the girl?!" one voice hisses to another.

"Didn't want to have a witness, now did we?" the other retorts. "Besides, you see that bird's eyes? Two different colors! The boss will love that. She'll sell for plenty."

The words sent a steady stream of shivers down Charlotte's back.

Still keeping up her unconscious act, Charlotte meticulously moved her hands, testing her bondage.

Just below her breasts, the housekeeper noticed multiple, belt-like, restraints wrapping around her middle. They pinned her arms behind her back at an awkward angle.

 _ **~Just where are we going?~**_ Charlotte wonders in the back of her mind.

But it seems like she was getting an answer sooner than expected.

The carriage gently begins to slow down, until coming to a complete stop. The men who spoke earlier in the carriage grunt as they rise and climb out of the wagon.

"You grab the brat."

The second one laughs. "You just want to feel the maid up."

"I don't deny anything."

Biting back a growl, Charlotte continues to feign sleep as the thug allows his hands to roam.

"Man, wonder if the boss will let me get a crack at her before he sells her." There was a wicked smile in his voice. "You know, test the fields."

"Let's go," the second sighs, carrying Ciel inside.

They enter the house, climbing up a couple flights of stairs, until the two were unceremoniously thrown to the ground.

Ciel groans as he hits the floor, rousing him from his sleep. Charlotte does the same.

"Where . . . ?"

Looking up, Charlotte bit back another snarl as her mix-matched eyes fall onto Ciel. Feeling her hair stand on end, the housekeeper's eyes scan over the young master. Apparently the men took it upon themselves to "rough" Ciel up when they took the two from the manor. But nothing life threatening.

Blood smears were across Ciel's face, and a small stream of blood coming from his nose, but even with these minor injuries, Ciel's blue eyes never waver from their captor's face.

Charlotte snarls and glares up at the ring leader's face, making it clear that she was not happy.

Azzurro Vanel. The rat.

His ebony hair was pulled back into a half pony tail, allowing the large scar across his face to stand out. The scar began on the left side of his forehead, crossing over the bridge of his nose, and ending under his right eye. At least to Charlotte's perspective. Then above his right eye, there is a piercing on his eyebrow.

"So it was you," Ciel glares up at the man.

Azzurro lets out a small chuckle. "You know, little Phantomhive, here in your country, it is very difficult for us Italian Mafia to conduct business." The Italian saunters back over to his desk, leaning back against it. "You Inglesi all have tea stains on your brains! Think about it. What do you think is the best way for people like us to make money?"

 _ **~Kidnapping and holding people for ransom?~**_ Charlotte thought viciously.

"Not murder, not smuggling . . . Not women, not organs . . ." Azzurro's eyes scan over Charlotte. "But of course, there are a few exceptions to the rule, no?"

Gritting her teeth, she glares up at the man.

In relations to the room, Azzurro's men threw Ciel and Charlotte dead center. This allows for Charlotte to hold up her end of the bargain of her job. Protect Ciel Phantomhive.

"Those two color eyes will fetch plenty with some sellers, you know . . ." Azzurro praises, looking at his men. "Nice find."

But he finally leaves her alone and looks back at Ciel, who is sitting behind his housekeeper. "That would only leave drugs for us, yes?" Lighting up a cigar, the Italian leans back against the desk again. "But one we arrived here, there was not even a whiff of mellow fragrance in this country, thanks to the Watchdog," he snarls at Ciel.

"It is by the order of the Queen that dealers and drugs are controlled," Ciel recites, just looking up at Azzurro lazily.

Azzurro chuckles softly. "Oh dear, what a prude," he muses. "There you have it! The reason I hate the Inglesi!" With every following word, he lazily waves his hand around. "Mama this, mama that! You are nothing but a bunch of mama's boys!" The Italian lets out another round of laughter.

The rest of the room was quiet, save for Azzurro's laughter, which made the noise all the more eerie. "Still . . ." Azzurro continues. "At the end of the day, you and I, we are two of a kind. We would like to make some money with you, if possible."

Ciel's eyes never wavered at the offer. "I have no intention of colluding with a filthy sewer rat."

"So you say, but I wonder about the other followers. Maybe they are just afraid of the watchdog, and are sitting tight for the time being . . ." Azzurro let's out a deep breath, the cigar smoke billowing out past his lips. "In fear of Ciel Phantomhive, sweeper of the dark . . . I was especially careful to not deal those drugs in Italy, so it surprises me that you found me out so fast."

Charlotte lets a ghost of a smile come across her face, knowing that she helped Ciel nail this bastard as the rat.

"I didn't think you would use Chlaus to get the drugs," Azzurro murmurs, before looking over at Ciel. "Now, you understand what I want, yes? If you tell me where the drugs are, I send you, and your maid, home alive."

 _ **~Maid!? I'm a**_ **housekeeper** _ **, Mister Drug Lord,~**_ Charlotte chastises in her mind.

Smirking, Ciel leans back as much as his restraints allow him to. "If I fail to return, Chlaus will hand over the evidence to the government." The young boy laughs softly. "How unfortunate for you!"

Rage flashes across Azzurro's face, before he picks up a pistol from the table and aims it at Ciel. "One must never look down on one's elders, you snot-nosed little noble!"

Charlotte growls loudly, and moves in front of Ciel, glaring at Azzurro. Her threat clear. He's going to have to go through her.

Azzurro sighs and motions to one of the goons behind them. Said goon that carried Charlotte into the house came over and grabs the girl around her waist and pulls her away from Ciel. The woman didn't go without a fight, but she did still when the man's hand decided to go south for a feel.

"Ah ah," Azzurro calls out. "No touching the woman, I am a man of my word." Looking back at Ciel, he continues to point the gun. "I already have my men over at your mansion. Where are the drugs? If you don't spit it out, I shall kill your servants one by one, and then let him kill her in front of you!"

The young Phantomhive tenses up at the threat, but he quickly relaxes and smiles. "I do hope your precious pet dogs know their way around a game of 'fetch'."

The Italian sighs heavily, lowering the gun, before taking a step forward to the captured teenager. Looking down at Ciel, Azzurro suddenly draws his leg back and slams it into the side of Ciel's face.

The image burns into Charlotte's corneas, the image of Ciel being kicked by this rat, and rage takes over. Thrashing in the man's grasp, she throws her head back and slams the back of her head into the nose of the man holding her, and when he releases her, she uses her momentum, and kicks off the ground towards Azzurro.

Opening her mouth wide, Charlotte feels her teeth elongate into sharp canine-like teeth, and sink them into Azzurro's leg. When blood makes contact with her mouth, she begins to shake her head, ripping and tearing flesh from the Italian's Leg.

"CAZZO DI MERDA!" Azzuro screams out, before punching Charlotte on the side of her head, forcing the girl to break contact with his leg.

Grabbing the phone, Azzurro pulls the piece up to his hear and snarls into the receiver, "KILL THEM ALL!"

Groaning from the hit, Charlotte moves to sit up, only to freeze when she hears the gun shot over the phone. Heart slamming against her ribs, the housekeeper fears who was shot. A certain raven haired butler floats into her mind, making her heart pound even quicker.

 _ **~Please . . . everyone be okay . . .~**_ she prays.

But then, over the phone, her ears pick up another message. One that eases any pain she gained earlier.

"I missed!"

Azzurro slams his fist down on the table, cursing. "YOU WHAT?! YOU USELESS IDIOTS! THIS IS WHY TRASH LIKE YOU-!" The Italian couldn't finish rant.

A long scream echoes from the phone, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"What, have you seen a bear or something?" laughs Azzurro, not thinking much about what his men could have seen.

But the screams become more panicked, more terrified. "IT'S NO USE! IT'S HERE!" The line falls silence for a heartbeat before, "GYAAAAAAA!" a terrifying scream comes from the phone.

"What's going on?!" Azzurro screams back into the phone when nothing but silence follows the scream.

Both Charlotte and Ciel begin to softly chuckle, knowing only one person could cause that level of terror in that short of time.

As Azzurro turns to look down at them, Ciel's laughter grows in pitch. "It would seem that your game of 'fetch' was a failure."

Azzurro quickly begins to advance on Ciel, resulting in Charlotte trying to lunge to the young Phantomhive, but her plan was cut short when two of the goons grab her by the back of her head, a fist full of hair, and yanks her backward. Once she was in their grasp, they pin her to the floor, forcing her to watch the scene unfold.

"This is pay back for biting the boss' leg, you bitch," the goon hisses down at her, making sure to dig his knee into her back, effectively pinning her to the ground.

Azzurro stands over Ciel and begins to stomp on the Phantomhive, screaming for him to shut up. Ciel's blood splatters over Azzuro's white shoe, tainting the material. Satisfied with his accomplishment, the Italian grabs the phone and yells, "GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT OR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU MUTTS!"

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end of the phone could have been choir music to Charlotte.

"Hello?" repeats Sebastian. "I'm a servant of the Phantomhive family. Might the young master be there, with our housekeeper?" A long pause follows, where nobody said a word. "Hello? Is something wrong, sir?"

On the other end, Azzurro was shaking like a leaf. Who was this man and how did he erect such a terrified reaction from his men?

"Woof!" Ciel barks out, smirking as he laid on the floor.

Sebastian merely chuckles. "Understood, sir. I shall be there to collect you and Miss Charlotte straight away. And I must thank you, Miss Charlotte, for protecting the young master this long. I will be there shortly."

Charlotte groans from her spot on the floor, but the movement makes her hiss as the assailant's knee presses against her ribs. "Then do hurry Sebastian, my ribs can only take so much more of this."

Not expecting this, the cold voice on the other end of the receiver made Azzurro shudder, and the housekeeper to look up at the sudden change in Sebastian's demeanor.

"Of course, Miss Charlotte."

A dial tone echoes from the phone, the threat of an angry Sebastian following it's wake.

 **A/N:**

 **Finally! I finally was able to sit down and work through the writer's block!**

 **Anyway, I'm not proud about how long this chapter took me, but I am proud at the end result! Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Please review it and let me know your thoughts!**

 **Much Love,**

 **ShadowLegacy11**


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